Living in the Louisiana bayou, in an island called the Bathtub, six-year-old Hushpuppy lives with her father Wink, looking down at the urban city on the dry side of the levee. However, after Wink falls ill, Hushpuppy goes in search of her mother.
The take
Whether due to poverty, personal choice, or simply knowing no other way, there are people living by the river, forgoing the comforts and the cages of modern urban living. Not many films depict these communities, but seven years after Hurricane Katrina, Beasts of the Southern Wild shares a rare depiction of their lives in the outskirts. It’s a bit meandering, but it’s unique, with a folkloric feel, as the young heroine Hushpuppy full of awe towards the natural world their Cajun community is bound to, while also with a curiosity towards her missing mother and an awareness of how precarious their lives are that slowly grows through the film. Beasts of the Southern Wild is a surprising debut of a community rarely depicted.
What stands out
Quvenzhané Wallis. This was her film debut, but even then, she already had the presence and charisma to lead this film.
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